Time is a Curious Thing
by AugustSilence
Summary: "...and now Chloe could finally be happy. This is exactly what she wanted... or was it?" My second fanfiction ever... But I'll really count it as my first because I think this one is better and more creative. Rated T, but the story can turn any direction at any point. We will just go with the flow... If you enjoyed it, please leave a review! :)
1. Consequences

**Author's Note:** **The beginning of the story takes place in the last scene of Episode 3 in the actual game. Spoiler Alert. I hope you can read this with the characters' voices in mind, as I did when I created it. Critique to make sure I'm doing it right!** **If you like it, let me know what you want to see more of in the future! This story will flow with the readers' ideas, as long as I get some! Hope you enjoy. :)**

Chapter 1: Consequences

Max began to fade back into reality. Her time-traveling, life-altering journey had concluded. She saved William and now Chloe could finally be happy. This is exactly what she wanted... or was it?

The bright sun burned into Max's eyes, making the scene around her go completely white for a short moment. She could hear a faint conversation between some Vortex members...

As her vision returned, she examined her surroundings. _What? Why am I here, with the Vortex club? Am I actually in with the popular crowd?_ She thought.

"Hello, are you even listening, Maxine?" Victoria waved her head in front of Max's face to try and draw her attention. Max looked around and gathered her thoughts.

"Max, _never_ Maxine." she shook her head, still puzzled.

"I know, sorry, Mad Max." Victoria gave a nervous chuckle. "You're not pissed at me, right? Right?"

 _Victoria is actually worried I might be pissed at her? Damn, the tables hath turned..._

"Do you wanna go hit the girl's potty and smoke 'em peace pipe?" Victoria inquired suggestively.

"I think Max is high." Courtney speculated from across the circle.

"She's acting, like, so weird..." Taylor added. "You cool, Max?"

 _No, of course I'm not "cool." All I wanted was for William to live and Chloe's life to be happier. But this... This is totally fucked up! Too many things are different. What else have I changed?_

"Nobody listened when I said we shouldn't let her in the Vortex..." Courtney said with an I-Told-You-So type of tone.

"Courtney, you don't want anybody in the club." Taylor retaliated.

"Like, whatever, bitch." she spat back. The group returned to their previous conversation.

Max got up and walked away from the circle, determined to find out what has happened, leaving her new clique completely baffled.

"Shit, I knew I shouldn't have called her Maxine!" Victoria threw her palm up to her forehead. "God damn it, now she's fucking pissed at me. She totally just stormed off."

Just by walking through the courtyard, Max could see the consequences of her actions. Warren stood near the stairs at the front entrance to the campus, holding Stella's hands and smiling lovingly at her as she chatted him up. It obvious that they were together.

 _Warren... He hooked up with Stella?_ Max thought. She found herself wondering why the thought of the little science nerd having feelings for another girl bothered her so much. After all, she really didn't have any interest in him. Not as long as Chloe was around... _Chloe!_

Max picked up her pace a bit and jogged down to the nearest bus stop on campus. She began to anxiously wait for it's arrival.

 _If this much has changed because I hid William's keys, what happened to Chloe? Are we friends in this timeline? Does she know me at all? Does her family still even live in Arcadia Bay?_ A whirlwind of "what-if"s and "if only"s surged through her mind. Time could not go by any slower...

Finally Max could see the yellow Blackwell Academy bus pulling up from over the hill. It came to an abrupt halt and the doors swung open in front of her. David Madsen looked down at the wide-eyed girl below him and nodded his head from behind the driver's seat.

 _David is a Blackwell bus driver now? What happened to being head of security?_

Still trying to wrap her head around the entire situation, Max hesitated before walking up the steps and onto the bus. She quickly found her seat and stared out the window, contemplating every event that took place over the course of this strange fucking day and hoping that Chloe would ultimately be safe and contented. Max let out a heavy sigh. She could deal with this new life and every change that came with it, if that meant that her Chloe was okay.

 _I could always try to start a new friendship with her, if-_ her thoughts were interrupted by the sight of three beached whales down by the shore. The majority of the passengers got out of their seats to press their faces up against the window and observe. _Oh my god... What have I done?_ This only made Max all the more unsettled about every possible outcome her best friend could have been thrown into. The bus braked at the next stop and she rushed off, shooting down the street towards the Price house.

The house was in way better condition with William around, rather than when David resided there in a previous timeline. It had been repainted the same blue it always was, the roof and garage looked like new, and the front yard had been landscaped to host beautiful flower plants and bushes. She hoped that the Prices still lived there, that this was William's work.

Max walked up the clean sidewalk path to the front door and paused before knocking to take in the change. She noticed that there was now a ramp leading up to the door, as well as the stairs she stood upon.

* _knock knock knock_ *

 _A ramp? Why would they need a ramp?_ She stepped back and thought before the door opened.

William stood in the doorway, a surprised smile on his face. "Max Caulfield!" he exclaimed. "Taking a break after taking Seattle by storm, huh? We thought we'd never see you again after you left for the big city." That made Max feel like complete shit for just up and leaving without even speaking to anyone.

"No... I'd never do that to Chloe..." she replied, understanding now how Chloe really felt all the time she left without saying one word. Maybe this was Max's chance to make it all up to her...

"Speaking of... I know she's been _dying_ to see you. Hold on."

 _Well, at least we know Chloe is still alive._ Max thought grimly.

William turned and looked down the hall. "Chloe!" he called out. "You have a visitor!"

 _Why is he calling down the hall? Chloe's room is upstairs..._ Max waited for Chloe to come out and see her. Would she be mad that Max hasn't talked to her since she left? Would she be happy to see her?

Max heard the faint buzzing of a motor, which drew a look of consternation on her face. She listened to see where it was coming from. The noise drifted ever closer, eventually flowing out into the hall. What Max saw moving towards her was horrifying.

There Chloe sat, in a motorized wheelchair, hooked up to all sorts of medical devices. Her hands were secured down to the armrests, her legs were covered with a thick red blanket, her head was held up with supports, and a ventilator was hooked up inside her throat to support her breathing... This wasn't the Chloe Max had ever remembered. Or wanted to remember.

Noticing that the special "visitor" standing there waiting for her was Max, Chloe's face lit up with excitement as she moved her chair faster towards the wide open front door.

 _What's Max doing here after all this time?_ Chloe thought. _I wonder how she will react to my... changes._

Max took a couple steps back and covered her agape mouth in prostration.

 _I hope all that is just because she's excited to see me..._ Chloe worried to herself. She stopped in front of the doorway and cracked out a huge welcoming smile for her old friend.

 _What have I done?_ More unnerving thoughts flooded Max's head. Was this situation repairable? Can she still use her powers? What else was modified? Can Chloe speak? …What's happening...?

Max began to feel dizzy. The world was spinning in front of her.

"I-I think I should... sit down..." she stammered weakly.

Everything went in and out of focus... The last thing Max felt was the hard pain of concrete coming in contact with her shoulder first and then her head. The last thing she heard was William shouting, "Shit... Joyce! ...Bring me ...out here! ...Max just..." The words, too, began to fade away with everything else as Max went unconscious.

* * *

Max woke up in the midst of a raging storm on the lighthouse property. "Not this again," she groaned, "Do these visions ever end?" This was beginning to get vexatious. Can't a girl faint once without being transported to some crazy ominous dream world? At this point, Max already knew exactly where she needed to go. She began to walk the path up to the lighthouse, anticipating every falling tree and tumbling rock. The weird, ghostly doe she usually followed was not with her this time... Something felt different.

Once at the top, she watched the deadly tornado push closer and closer to wiping Arcadia Bay clean off the map.

What, exactly, was it that she had to do to save the town?

One thing Max did not anticipate, however, was a tall, dark, slender figure standing out by the lighthouse building.

 _What the hell? Who is that?_ Max moved closer to the mysterious character. The phantom moved out to stand in front of the small maintenance building next to the lighthouse, almost as if leading Max somewhere... Max followed over to the small structure and the aberration disappeared through the wall. Max looked around at some of the graffiti on it to see if that led her anywhere. Nothing but the same strange phrase that Nathan once scribbled all over a creepy paper.

RACHEL IN THE DARK ROOM

Was written in multiple spots on only that side of the maintenance building...

 _Strange._ Max walked around to the door and tried opening it. Locked...

The dark world began to fade as Max rejoined reality on the old familiar couch that she knew all too well from her and Chloe's childhood. They would pretend to be pirates and plunder the living room dry of all its hidden treasures... Good times.

 _Man, my head is killing me. I must have fallen hard._ She put her hand up to her head in a desperate attempt to soothe the pain away and found a cold washcloth folded on her forehead. This was Joyce's doing; she must have come in to check up on the poor girl before she left for work. Max turned her head to the side, looking for the time, and found Chloe sitting in front of her, watching over her and waiting patiently for her to wake up.

Max thought about how different Chloe was now... She obviously seemed like she was happier and had a better life, but then again she didn't... There had to be a way to fix this. Screwing with the past was a definite no-no.

"I brought you some water, in case you were thirsty when you woke up." Chloe spoke slowly, her voice hoarse due to the ventilator tube. Max was surprised that Chloe could speak. She wasn't sure what to even expect yet.

 _Don't stare, Max. You're going to screw something up ...again._

"I, uh, thanks." Max picked up the glass and took a sip of the crystal clear liquid. She was, in fact, very thirsty. And water tasted very good to her in that moment. She downed a couple more slugs of the good old H2O. Thanks Chloe.

"So, how was Seattle? What made you come back out here?" Chloe inquired.

"It was okay. I came back here for Mr. Jefferson's photography class." Max answered hesitantly, unsure of how to react to speaking with her.

Noticing Max's awkward expression and lack of words in her answer, Chloe tried to lighten the atmosphere. "Not for your bestest friend ever, Chloe Price?"

"Of course I came here for you, too. How have you been?" What Max really wanted to know was why Chloe was wheelchair-bound and hooked up to all of that crazy stuff.

"I've been okay, we-"

Lost in her own thought, Max interrupted Chloe. "What happened to you? Why are you... You know..."

 _Nice job, dummy. Wait to make things awkward. At least finish your own questions._

"In a wheelchair?" Chloe finished it for her. "For my 16th birthday, my dad bought me a brand new red Chevy. It was awesome... I loved showing it off to everyone. One day, my mom asked me to go pick up some groceries for her. I was texting and I ran a red light... An eighteen-wheeler was pulling through the intersection and couldn't stop in time. The doctors all said I'm lucky to be alive."

"Wowser, Chloe, that's some serious shit." Max replied, shocked at how close Chloe was to death... Because of her.

 _So, because I hid William's keys and he didn't die in that car accident, Chloe ended up being the one who went through it? Oh my god..._

"Where are William and Joyce?" she asked, curious as to why the house was so quiet.

"Mom is at work. Dad is upstairs working on a project."

Max looked across the room at a small digital clock setting on the side table.

12:32 PM

 _Holy shit, I've been out his long? It's a whole new day..._

"Oh, wow, I'm late for Mr. Jefferson's class. He'll have my head on a pike if I don't turn my photo in soon..." she thought out loud. "Chloe, I have to go right now. Can we can hang later?" Max almost felt relieved that she had an excuse to leave.

"Yeah, of course Max. See you later." Chloe said roughly.

Max got up and walked down the hallway to the front door. Before she turned the handle, she looked back at Chloe's lively face. It killed Max to see her like that, even if she was smiling...

"Tell your parents I said hi." Max waved goodbye and turned the handle.

Once outside, Max shut the door and leaned up against it.

 _I've got to find out how to make things right,_ she thought. _For Chloe._

On the other side of the door, Chloe thought to herself. _Why is Max acting so strange? I know this is the first time she's seen me in, like, five years, but damn. Something else is up with her. I hope it's not because of what I told her... Max..._

 _Chloe..._

Max gathered herself and began to walk down to the end of the street to wait for the bus. She checked her phone. No new texts, and the time was 12:38. Picking up every 15 minutes, she shouldn't have to wait very long for the "Blackhell Prison Bus," as the old Chloe used to call it. Max stood by the sign, riddled with graffiti, and watched the end of the road.

 _* bzz bzz_ *

An incoming text message startled her out of intense concentration.

 **Victoria: Where r u, homie? Jefferson's class started like 15 mins ago**

 **Max: I'm waiting for the bus. Had to catch up with an old friend.**

 **Victoria: K see u soon. XO**

 _This is totally strange. Victoria is my friend. She's being totally nice... What happened?_ Max pondered for a moment. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed to keep this relationship with Victoria as it was for the time being if she wanted to get anywhere with her investigation. She had to play it cool and act as if nothing had ever happened, while still figuring the new world out. Not to mention the giant ass tornado that would wipe the town out on Friday. Tomorrow.

 _The town is going to be destroyed tomorrow. The night of the End of the World party._ Was that still happening? Max was in the Vortex Club now, so she had an easy way in. That would be a hell of a great place to look for clues of Rachel or Kate... Those things still happened, right?

 _Gotta get down to the bottom of this, Max. This time, all alone..._

The bus pulled up to the stop. Max was so absorbed in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed it.

"You gonna get on or what, girl?" the driver impatiently asked. "I ain't got all day."

"Sorry." Max shook her head and boarded the bus to Blackwell. This was going to be a long day.

* * *

After a few lengthy minutes, the bus came to a stop at the front of the campus. Max got off and headed straight for Jefferson's class. She couldn't afford any distractions, she was already late enough.

Although, class did seem pretty insignificant at this point.

 _I've altered reality and the world is going to end tomorrow... and I'm still going to class. You make the greatest superhero, Max._

As she approached the photography classroom, Max noticed Warren leaning against the door waiting for Stella.

 _I hope he knows Jefferson's class doesn't end for another thirty minutes... Still, I guess he's being a good boyfriend and waiting loyally. Barf._

Max walked past the lovesick science wiz and into the classroom, trying not to attract the attention of every soul within seeing distance. She failed.

"Well, well, Max. Nice to see you decided to finally join us today." Mr. Jefferson joked. Max ignored his comment and took her seat.

Victoria's eyes followed her all the way across the room and past the perfectly good, empty chair she had set out for Max right beside her. Perplexed, she whipped out her phone and sent Max a quick text.

"No texting in class, Miss Chase. You know that." Jefferson warned.

 _* bzz bzz *_

 **Victoria: What's with u today?**

 **Victoria: U stormed off yesterday and today u sat all the way across the room**

"That goes for you too, Miss Caulfield."

Max looked up and shook her head at Victoria, who had an unreadable expression painted across her face. She turned her gaze over to the empty seat next to Victoria. _Shit, she's going to figure me out soon. I should probably rewind and sit next to her so she doesn't get suspicious._

Max held her hand up and rewound time to the moment she entered the classroom. Everything played out just as before.

"Well, well, Max. Nice to see you decided to finally join us today."

Max ignored her teacher again and plopped herself into the open seat beside Victoria. She noticed a sly grin on Victoria's face out of the corner of her eye.

"Hi."

"Hey."

With that out of the way now, Max examined the rest of her peers in the classroom as the lesson was resumed. No Kate. _Weird._ Everything else seemed relatively normal. Daniel was lost in his sketching, Stella scribbled away at her notes, and Alyssa stared into space, her thoughts getting the best of her.

Finally, the bell rang and everyone shot out of their seats. "Don't forget to turn in your pictures for the Everyday Heroes contest. Taylor, stop hiding and get it done. And yes, Max, I see you pretending not to see me." Mr. Jefferson always concluded class like that. It was almost like a sort of ritual.

Victoria turned to Max as she packed her supplies up. "We're having a party tonight before we do the End of the World bash tomorrow. Vortex members only. Just sort of, like, a before-the-party party. You're coming, right?"

Max nodded her head in response. Sweet. The End of the World bash was on _and_ Max was going to party hard tonight with Vortex members _only_. Time to find out what happened to Kate... or Rachel.

"Hey, this might be a dumb question that I may or may not already know the answer to, but... Where is Kate Marsh?"

"Kate? Kate, Kate, Kate, Kate, Kate." Victoria searched her brain. "Doesn't ring a bell. Sorry. She must not attend Blackwell."

"Oh, okay. Thanks." _Wowser, Kate doesn't even go to Blackwell anymore? I have to find a way to fix this, and fast._

Max headed out of the main building and to the Prescott Dormitories. Still owned by that douchebag Nathan and his family. She walked through the main courtyard and into the Girls' Dormitories.

Looking down the hall, Max could still see that not much had changed there. "NO BOYS ALLOWED" was still on the bathroom sign, the sex-ed posters still hung up everywhere. One thing that did seem different was Dana's room. The door was closed, and no music was blaring. Her slate was clean. This was not normal Dana's personality... Max walked up to the door and knocked lightly.

"Hey it's me, Max. Dana?"

"What?" she heard Dana's voice call from inside. "Did you come to make fun of me, too? It's not like I _wanted_ to get pregnant! Just go away... You Vortex Club pricks are all the same... "

 _Damn, Dana must be really pregnant if everyone is teasing her that bad... She has to be uber depressed. This reality needs to end! I have to stop this!_

Max made her way down the hall to her dorm room and shut the door behind her. Oh, how her life was changed. Any other person would think it was all for the better, but not Max. She wanted her old world back.

The room around Max looked similar to the way Victoria's used to, judging from the many times the Blackwell Ninja had broken into the prep's room to rummage through her dirty secrets. To her immediate right sat a high-end bed with fancy silk sheets. The "Max Caulfield Photo Memorial Wall" was still there, nothing altered.

 _Same, stupid pictures,_ Max thought, _Out of everything in this room, that's the only thing still here? Embarrassing, but it makes feel a little closer to my real home._

On the left side of the room Max found her closet, filled with thousands of dollars worth of designer clothes. Past that was a glamorous modern couch and a glass coffee table in place of the cheap old bargain couch that Max's parents insisted on getting. An expensive-looking wooden desk replaced her tiny particle-board version, and a Macbook rested on the surface. Max noticed that her cork board brimming with Post-It notes and scribbled writings about time alteration was still there, hung on the wall perfectly above the beautiful dark desk.

 _Good,_ she thought, _that makes two promising things._

Max wondered that if her notes and Memorial Wall were still there then, somewhere in this alternate universe, there had to be that picture of her and Chloe that William took the day he, uh, took the bus... The one she used to warp back and convince him to actually take it. She walked across her new contemporary room and scanned her desk. Underneath some science papers lay a picture of Max and Chloe dressed as pirates. Joyce had taken that picture, Max could remember, on the last Halloween she and her best friend ever spent together, although her memory was slightly fuzzy. She gently picked it up and carried it over to her bed as she sat on the edge.

A single tear splashed onto the film as Max remembered her lovable blue-haired punk and the countless times she saved her from the clutches of death. It was time to nab that picture and go back to the day she let William live. As much as she hated the thought, Max knew that the only way she could save her friend and bring the world back to its original state was to let him die in that car crash... It was the way the universe meant for it to be.

 _Hold on, Che. I'm coming._


	2. Nostalgia

**Author's Note:** **So here's my Chapter 2. I played through all three episodes of LiS yesterday (took me literally all day, but I did it) just to get inspiration to write this. Tell me what you think! I love to read your reviews. I'm also always up for direct messaging, so PM if you want to! :)**

Chapter 2: Nostalgia

It was all Max could do not to burst into tears in the middle of her dorm room. Even the smallest things reminded her of the way life used to be. Of Chloe...

That made all of her classes extra hard to concentrate in that day. At least now, if she decided to have a mental breakdown, no one would see her in the safety of her room.

 _I will find that photo. And I will save you, Chloe. I need you..._

" _You can rewind time, Max. That's fucking insane..."_ Max heard punk Chloe's voice in her head _. "...you need a sidekick to guide you..."_

Super Max needed her Girl Wonder. As if the situation she was in wasn't arduous enough, now Max had to tough it alone? No. That is _not_ how she was going to let this play out. Chloe was right... Max had an incredible power, and it was time to fix this.

It was time to be an Everyday Hero.

 _But,_ Max thought, _I should probably check out this new world before I try to go back. Just to see if I can't find anything._

 _And who says I'll actually be able to go back if I do find the picture?_

Max didn't want to overwhelm herself now. She needed to take things one step at a time. For starters, the Vortex pre-party shindig was tonight. She could look for something there, like the drugs Nathan hooked Kate up with... and probably Rachel, too.

It was decided. Max was going to attend the party and snoop for clues. For anything, really.

She heard her phone buzz on the nightstand to her left.

 **Victoria: Meet me at the fountain in the courtyard at 9. Dnt be late.**

 **Victoria: And try not to act weird like yesterday**

 _Okay, the party is at nine. What time is it now?_ Max verified the time on the top of her phone screen.

4:47PM

She still had about four more hours until the party... What to do?

Max's stomach bellowed out in hunger. _Let me play you the song of my people,_ she joked. _I need to nosh. What better place than the Two Whales? I'll be able to catch up with Joyce there anyway._

* * *

The second she walked through the door of the diner Max felt a pang of instant nostalgia.

 _Talk about going back in time... The diner looks exactly the same as when we were kids. Although now there are way less fishermen and way more dumped food carts. Chloe and I had the best backdrop to play pirate: old ships and a big ocean..._

The feeling wasn't only for the time Chloe and Max spent together as kids, but their journey as adults. What she wouldn't give to be back in that old booth on October 8, 2013. Sitting across from her blue-haired rebel, predicting the future and seeing through pockets...

 _Chloe was so damn excited to test out my power,_ Max thought as she sat in the third booth down from the back wall to the right, close to the jukebox. She looked out behind the counter and found Joyce's unforgettable face working hard to please.

The moment Joyce's eyes met Max's, her face lit up. It was good to see that the poor girl was doing well after her fall last night. Bless her heart... She pushed up the folding counter and walked out to the table Max was sitting at.

"Hey girl," she said, "Its great to see you're doing better."

"Thanks, I don't know what got into me." Max replied apologetically, "I guess it was just all the excitement of seeing Chloe after five years."

"Things happen. Don't worry about it, Max. At least you're okay." Joyce assured. "Chloe is so happy that you're back in Arcadia Bay again. She hasn't had many friends since... Since her accident."

 _Sigh. Assholes around here just don't understand how to be nice, do they?_

"I wonder why. Chloe is such a good person. You don't think it's because of...?"

"That's probably exactly why. And what's worse is Blackwell won't even admit her. Say they 'don't have the funds' for handicapped students." Joyce scoffed. "But that's fine. Homeschooling is just fine with us. If anything, it's better for her not to have to deal with people bullying her for her disability."

This conversation did _not_ help Max feel any better. She wondered why she wasn't suffering severe depression yet. Max always did see the positive side of everything– she always had hope.

"Chloe did have one good friend around here while you were gone. Rachel Amber..." Joyce admitted.

"Rachel Amber?" Max inquired.

"Pretty girl. Smart as a whip, too. She always talked about her dreams of becoming a model and moving out to Los Angeles. Chloe would always joke about how she was coming with her... That was, until she disappeared six months ago." Max could see the hurt in Joyce's eyes. "Anyway, let's get down to the big question. What do you want to eat?"

"The last _good_ burger I had was here. I'll have one of those, please."

"A burger for the hungry girl, pronto!" Joyce called out into the kitchen.

Max had time to think before her food came out. _So, Rachel Amber was still friends with Chloe, and she's still missing. Great. I mean, it's not great that she's missing, but– Anyway. This means that I have a definite thing to look for now. Everyone in Blackwell is connected, and I'm going to figure it out._

Before she knew it, Joyce came around the corner with a steaming burger on her plate. She set it down on the table in front of Max and handed her a bottle of orange soda.

"I figured you'd want something to go with your food, and I know how much you and Chloe used to drink this when you came in here as kids."

"Thanks, Joyce." What a delightful surprise. Max popped the cap and took a swig of the soft drink. It tasted like her childhood.

* _bzz bzz_ *

 **Nathan: Hey babe, you're coming tonight, right?**

Max nearly choked and dropped her phone as she read the words.

 **Max: Yeah, of course.**

 **Nathan: Cool I'll see you there. Love you.**

 _Holy shit. Nathan is my boyfriend? Can this reality get any stranger? This is totally creepy. That douchebag?_

Max scarfed down the remains of her burger and finished off the orange soda. She jumped up and left a ten at the booth for Chloe's mom.

She needed someone to confide all of this in, not just her journal and pictures... She needed a real person, and she knew that she could trust Chloe no matter what. Max headed down to the Price house.

* * *

Once she reached the blue house, Max ran up the path and knocked on the door quickly. She tried to hold back her nerves, but they stuck out like a sore thumb... She just needed someone, like, now.

William answered the door again and, before he could greet her at all, Max blurted out "I need to speak with Chloe. It's sort of an emergency..."

"Okay," he answered, "She's in the living room. Try not to explode on your way." A smile peeked on the edges of William's lips as he closed the door behind Max. It was comforting to know that Chloe had a good friend back in Arcadia Bay again.

Max ran down the hall into the living room and found Chloe watching the television contently.

"Chloe," she burst. The girl turned her chair around to look at Max's face. A nice breakup of the monotony to see her again.

"Hey, Max. Good to see you again."

"Listen, I need to talk to you about something..." Chloe could tell her best friend was clearly upset.

"Okay, what is it?" she asked.

"Maybe not right here."

"Okay, why don't we go to my room? Dad renovated the garage so I didn't have to use the stairs. Hehe." Chloe found light in the darkest of situations. Definitely polar opposites with her alternate universe self.

"That'd be great. Let's go."

The girls moved through the living room and over to the door under the stairs. Max hopped in front of Chloe to open it for her, and shut it on her way inside.

"Mi casa es tu casa."

Max surveyed Chloe's new room. It looked good, for what used to be the old garage.

"Okay, Chloe. I'm going to tell you something serious, something you can't tell _anyone_ else. For real, this is between you and me."

"Don't insult me, Max, go ahead."

"I swear to you that I am not crazy."

"Just say it, sista."

"Okay..." _Where to begin?_ "I am from an alternate universe. One where your dad died."

"What?" Chloe was concerned about the imagination of her old friend.

"Maybe I should start from the beginning. Two days before I came here, I discovered that I could rewind time. I saved you from getting shot in the girls' bathroom at Blackwell. You were trying to get Nathan Prescott to pay you to keep your mouth shut about another incident, but I won't get into that... Anyway, he had a gun and he shot you, Chloe. I watched you actually _die._ I held my hand up in a desperate attempt to save you, and I rewound time. I went back to the bathroom, set the fire alarm off, and saved you."

 _What the hell has this girl been smoking?_ Chloe thought. Although she didn't say it out loud. Just sat there and waited for Max to continue.

"And then we spent the next two days getting into all kinds of trouble around Arcadia Bay. The last time I saw your face in my universe, you were pissed at me and basically kicked me out of your truck."

"Wait, Max, are you saying that in this universe, I'm not paralyzed or anything?"

"Yes. You're also a rebellious punk. That's the phase you went through after William died... You dyed your hair blue, got a tat and some piercings, and started dressing in band clothes."

"Wow, go on."

"Okay, so before you drove me back to Blackwell, Joyce gave me a picture of us when we were kids. William took it the day he got in that fatal car accident. Here's where it gets weird."

This was interesting for Chloe. Even if it was all purely fictional and Max was absolutely making this up out of her ass, it was nice to hear a good story. And to just be in her presence.

Max continued, "I went back to my dorm room and sat on my bed staring at the picture, wishing with everything that I had that I could go back to that moment and let your dad survive so you could be happy."

 _Aw, Max. You're so adorable._ Chloe thought to herself.

"I kept focusing on the picture and started to hear our old voices in my head. The air around me felt like it swirling, and the film started to glow. Eventually I was able to focus on it enough to see the image clearly again... And then I was warped into your kitchen, in 2008. That was the day William died... But I saved him."

This was a lot for Chloe to process. With a tale like this, Max was either reaching into the deep and _twisted_ recesses of her imagination or she was telling the truth.

"William took our picture and I found myself as an 18-year-old inside of my 13-year-old self. It was _hella_ crazy." Max remembered how that was punk Chloe's favorite vocabulary word... "Then the phone rang. It was Joyce, and she wanted your dad to come pick her from the grocery store. I knew I had to find a way to stop him, so I hid his keys. He couldn't find them, so he took the bus instead... And now I'm here. Chloe, I altered the line. I fucked everything up. This isn't how it was supposed to be. And now, because William didn't die in the car crash, you became paralyzed in one." Max was stressing hard. She hadn't confided in anyone or anything since all of this went down... "This is all my fault," she admitted.

Chloe was speechless. What do you say in response to something like that?

"How do I know all of this is true? Do you have proof that this actually happened?"

Max thought for a moment. Then she remembered! She drew on the fireplace to mark her being there before hiding William's keys!

"Come with me. I want to show you something." Max led her friend out of her room and into the dining room area. She pointed towards a small butterfly on the bottom right corner of the bricks.

"I drew this the day I jumped into this world. Believe me?"

Okay, that was pretty freaky. Chloe didn't remember Max ever doing that, and she never noticed it until now.

"Alright, Max, you've got me there." she confessed. "This is crazy."

Max felt relieved to have been able to get that off her chest. This was freaking her out more than she ever imagined.

"So, how can I help you get back to your universe?" Chloe questioned. "This seems really important to you, so I'm here for you."

Even in an alternate time line, Chloe was so loyal and good to Max.

"No way to help, not right now. I'm still trying to investigate more into the disappearance of Rachel Amber, and-"

"Wait," Chloe interrupted, "You know Rachel? Does she exist in your universe too?" _Please say yes,_ Chloe thought, _I wouldn't want my other self to miss out on her._

"Yes, she does. And she's missing there too. You've been working really hard to find her, and I've been trying to help you." Max replied.

This was really odd, talking to Max about this alleged "alternate time line," but it was worth it... Maybe she really could find Rachel...

* _bzz bzz *_

 **Taylor: Hey girl, you're coming to the party tonight right? Gonna be awesome. Ur azz better be there. See u soon. XO**

 _Oh shit, the party!_ Max thought, _What time is it now? I have to head back to my room and get ready._

Max looked across the room at the digital clock.

7:56PM

"Crap! I gotta get back to my dorm and get ready for the party. The Vortex is having some weird, before-the-actual-party party." Max shrugged and shook her head. "Anyways, I gotta run! Can't be late. Talk to you later Che!" She yelled as she rushed down the hall and out the door.

* * *

Back at Blackwell, Max sighed. This day would never come to a close, would it? She walked across campus and into the girls' dormitories, owned by Nathan- her boyfriend's- family. Ugh. Max shuddered at the thought. Reason number 356 to escape this world.

Max just wanted to get all of this over with. She speed-walked down to the end of the hall and found her room on the right.

 _I guess I should probably take a shower and change my clothes. Don't want to scare everyone away with my... beautiful aroma._

She reached into her closet and grabbed her shower bag. _Gotta be careful around here,_ she thought, _Even though we're all seniors, people still like to play evil pranks..._

While in the shower Max heard a couple of girls walk in the bathroom, chattering and giggling together.

"Like, Maxine has no idea," one of them exclaimed. "Nathan is such an ass sometimes."

"Yeah, but he's super cute. And he _owns_ Blackwell. He can do whatever he wants and no one would say _shit._ "

"Yeah, you're right. That's why he can deal all of that shit to people and never gets caught."

"I bet he just pays the dumbass security officers to keep their mouths shut." one quipped.

"I heard his shit is cut with laxative."

There was a pause before the conversation picked up again.

"Do you think he's working with the guards to bust the druggies?" one questioned. She had a point. Why would Nathan sell drugs laced with laxatives? Not cool.

"I don't know. It doesn't matter, not our problem anyway." the two girls left the bathroom and Max exited the shower.

 _Damn, that girl had a point. I need to watch Nathan more carefully tonight and see what he's up to..._

Max returned to her room and dressed herself in a white undershirt and cute gray sweater. It was the closest she could get to her old Max wardrobe. She looked for the time again. Everyone seemed to make a point to her not to be late... Some Vortex Club thing, maybe?

8:45PM

 _I might as well just head out now. Don't want to make Victoria wait too long._

Max left the dormitories and headed out to the courtyard. Victoria was already sitting on the fountain waiting. Once she saw Max she stood up and took a couple steps toward her.

"Ready to head out?" she asked.

"You know it. Let's go!"

Max followed Victoria down the sidewalk and quickly discovered that the party was to be held in the swimming pool.

 _Go Otters._

Max had a flashback to the first and last time she was ever in that building. Her and Chloe had just broken into Principal Wells's office, and they decided that they earned a little time to themselves in the pool. Splish splash. It wasn't exactly _skinny dipping_ , but whatever the two girls did was close enough for Max. That night was probably the most intense and exciting experience Max ever had! Not to mention, she got to see Chloe in her underwear...

 _Bad, Max. Don't think about Chloe like that. Perv._ She thought. _Oh come on, you know you got a little giddy when she dared you to kiss her in her room._ Her mind argued back with itself. _Good point._

Max could hear the bass booming through the walls of the pool building. Victoria led her through to the girls' locker room.

 _A party around a pool,_ she quipped, _Not dangerous at all._

Tonight was going to be a long night.


	3. Connections

**Author's Note:** **I actually had a rough time figuring out how to write this chapter. Fair warning, it gets a little hot. A little. So watch out, kids. Buckle your seat-belts (just kidding I'm not that great of a writer). Like always, if you enjoyed it be sure to drop a review and feel free to PM me! Stay awesome friends. :) Also... OHMYGOSH EPISODE 4 EPISODE 4 EPISODE 4 EPISODE 4**

Chapter 3: Connections

Max could see, in her head, _so_ many drunk bodies flopping into the water that night. Whether they were the product of a shit-faced accident or on purpose, now, _that_ was a mystery.

 _Good thing they've got these spare rescue boards and oxygen kits around here,_ Max thought, _somebody might need them._

This wasn't exactly her idea of fun but, if it got Max closer to the answers she desired, she would have to tough it out.

The booming bass grew more intense as the girls neared the strobe lights and "fun." Victoria pushed the metal door and held it open, motioning for Max to enter the danger zone.

 _This nice new Victoria is just weird... I don't know how I feel about this. Awkward._

Victoria, of course, wasn't doing this to be nice. Oh, no. She was really only holding that door open so she could sneak a peak at Max's ass. Maybe if she could get her drunk enough, the brunette may submit this time...

The Vortex was a bit bigger than Max imagined. Bodies seemed to be dancing and flailing everywhere... She didn't even want to think about how many would be there at the End of the World party.

"This way, Mad Max. Taylor and Courtney are waiting," Victoria tugged on the chaste girl's arm. "Nathan should be with them, too."

 _Okay. Maybe I can start my search there._ Max remembered the words of the two girls in the bathroom earlier that evening. ' _...Maxine has no idea... That's why he can deal all of that shit to people... I heard his shit is cut with laxative... Do you think he's working with the guards?...'_

Max decided that her plan of action was to watch Nathan that night for any clues linked to the transaction of drugs... and who is getting involved. If Kate was drugged at a Vortex club party in the other world, and Rachel was in the Vortex there and here and suddenly went missing, _something_ had to be that missing link.

The girls came up on Taylor and Courtney shaking their booties for two absolutely intoxicated boys.

"Taylor!" Victoria yelled over the blasting music. Both of her minions snapped around and greeted their master.

"What's up Victoria?! You and Max made it!" Courtney acknowledged with a wink. Victoria shot her a look that screamed, "Shut up, bitch, nothing happened ...yet."

Max let out an awkward laugh. "Where's Nathan?"

"He's somewhere over there," Taylor pointed to a general area on her right. "Hitting some homies up with the good stuff!"

The brunette's blue eyes broke around the room, looking for the douchecanoe. She finally found him in his blue Letterman and he was, indeed, "hitting some homies up." It was difficult to see in the dark with only the zooming strobe lights and other people's phones to light the space up, but Max caught a couple glimpses of Nathan passing something in a plastic bag to a fellow student and getting a good amount of bills thrown into his hands in return.

Max knew she needed to get some of it- To take back with her, of course. There was no way in Hell she was going to actually use it, or let it fall into the wrong hands. She simply needed to obtain it so she could store it in her bag, find the picture, hop back to her own reality, and prove to Chloe and the rest of Blackwell that Nathan drugged Kate Marsh.

She dismissed herself from the three preps in her small group and pushed through the crowd towards her "boyfriend." It was time to get convincing.

"Hey, Nathan."

"Oh, hey babe. Didn't notice you got here yet.. hehe..."

"It's cool. Hey, I was actually hoping you could hook me up..." Max was trying.

"What? What are you even talking about?"

"Come on, drop the act, I saw you deal to those dudes over there..."

Victoria watched the two of them carefully. She wanted Max, and Nathan was _not_ about to stop her.

"Okay, fine," Nathan pulled a small bag from his back pocket.

 _That was easier than I expected. Phew._

"BUT," he began, moving closer to Max, pinning her against the wall.

 _Holy shit... Of course he wouldn't give it to me that easy._ Max was about to throw her hand up and rewind when Victoria came rushing up.

"Max, come here for a minute! I need you to help me with something super quick..." Victoria sucked at making up excuses.

Max didn't care. She latched on to that sentence and totally agreed to leave with the blonde. She pulled away from Nathan with Victoria's help and snatched the plastic bag from Nathan's hand.

"I'll pay you back later, promise." Max called out behind her as she happily allowed herself to be dragged out of the scene by a jealous Victoria.

 _Score! Nice one, Max. You got the stuff and you fled the area successfully._

Max didn't realize how far away from Nathan Victoria was really taking her... They were almost in the locker rooms again.

Victoria stopped suddenly and turned to focus her attention on Max. That whole "I'm so cute and innocent" act teased her too much. Max just didn't know what that did to her... _Oh, Max, you have much to learn._

"Hey, Mad Max," she proposed enticingly, "Don't you think this dark, secluded room is... sexy?"

 _Oh shit. Victoria's pulling the same looks she gives Jefferson... She is_ not _about to pounce on me, is she? I didn't even know she rolled that way..._

"Well?" Victoria asked, sashaying closer to the pure little brunette.

"I, uh, I don't know, maybe?" Max stumbled. This was an awful lot to take in. Victoria was definitely hot, there was no doubt about that, and she did take quite the interest in her.

Victoria had enough of the waiting, she was a very impatient person. She was going to get what she wanted, one way or another. In one swift move, she smacked Max up against the wall and looked her dead in the eyes.

"I want you, Caulfield." She said as she began to plant hard kisses all over Max's neck, receiving soft, airy sighs in response. "And I'll have you, any way I can." she said in between smacks.

Victoria moved her kisses up a bit, going up the side of Max's neck and across her cheek onto her lips. She bit Max's bottom lip lightly and forced them open so she could push her tongue through, entwining it with the one she quickly met once inside.

Both girls' hearts were racing more than a million miles an hour.

Victoria lifted one hand off of the brick locker room wall and gently grazed it down Max's face, and along her neck, and lower...and... _Wow. This girl's game is strong, for someone who hasn't done this before. Or has she? Fuck, she's almost better than Mr. Jefferson..._

Max wasn't even doing anything, besides standing there taking it, and it was turning Victoria on.

The tiny-framed brunette felt vibrations from the boom of the blasting bass playing in the party on the other side of the wall. She knew she shouldn't be doing this, but Victoria made it feel so good. As much as Max disliked her, she had to admit that this girl was good at being sexy.

Was Max's first sex partner going to be a girl? That slightly surprised her; she had never realized she was attracted to the feminine crowd this way... Maybe Victoria was just " _that one girl"_... Or was that Chloe?

 _Shit, I'm confused._

Max looked around the room as Victoria pecked back down her neck. _I really shouldn't be doing this,_ she thought. _What would Chloe think?_

Max pulled away from the roused prep. "I'm sorry... I-I cant, Victoria." she stumbled.

"Why not? I thought you were enjoying this." Victoria cradled the brunette's face.

"I was," she assured, "But we just cant..." Max looked down at the clammy floor.

Victoria's face sunk slightly, then quickly morphed into a half-glare-half-pout. She wasn't getting what she wanted tonight. "Fine, whatever. I'm going to go enjoy the party. See you around, _Maxine_."

Victoria's way of dealing with unpleasant situations was odd. It was as if she flipped an attitude switch in her brain the instant she didn't get her way... Almost like how Chloe used to...

Max watched the sexy short-haired blonde take the Walk of Shame through the showers and out to the pool. She took a moment to gather herself and took that opportunity to exit the building.

Once outside of the Blackwell gym, Max looked at the time on her phone.

10:53PM

It was ironically hilarious how she was constantly watching the clock as if she would run out of time soon. Well, maybe she would, what with the tornado coming tomorrow... She really needed to find that picture... Fast.

Where should she look first? Max thought about where she first came in contact with the photo of her and baby Chloe from 2008. She remembered that Joyce had taken it from the family picture album in her living room the morning she kissed Chloe.

Max's thoughts trailed for a moment. She thought about how Chloe's lips felt on hers, how warm and fuzzy her tummy felt. How she thought she might fly away if Chloe wasn't there as her anchor... And all of this happened in a split second. She wondered if Chloe felt the same...

 _Back to the important stuff, Max. You need to get over to the Price house and get a hold of that picture._

Blackwell buses stopped their routes at 10:00, students' curfew. Max would have to hike down to the real bus stop and wait for the next one. She searched the Arcadia Bay bus system on her phone and, to her delight, the next bus picked up at the stop near her at 11:00! She headed down to the little red dot on her screen and stood in the moonlight waiting.

* * *

The bus dropped Max off on 39th Terrace. She jumped down and walked a few houses until she stood in front of a blue house number 44.

Max knew it was rather late to be visiting anyone, but the tornado was coming to flatten the town _tomorrow,_ and she had no idea when it would show up... This was a force of nature not to be reckoned with.

The introvert paced up to the familiar door and knocked on it. _No answer._ She knocked once more and waited patiently. Eventually a groggy Joyce unlocked and opened her front door. She had obviously been sleeping.

"Hi, Joyce." Max said with an apologetic look on her face. "I-I'm sorry if I woke you up, I just needed something."

"Why at 11:00? You couldn't have waited until tomorrow morning?"

"No," Max lied, "I'm leaving to visit my parents tomorrow."

"Uh, alright then," Joyce sighed, "What is it you needed?"

Max didn't prepare for this. _Quick! Think of something, Sherlock._

"Well," she wavered, "Is Chloe awake? I need to get it from her."

"You're lucky. I think she's in her room watching late night television." Joyce yawned and shuffled back upstairs into her bedroom.

Max went straight for Chloe's room downstairs. She knocked lightly and cracked the door open.

"Chloe? You there?" she whispered. No response. _She must be asleep._

Max closed the door as quietly as she could and searched a shelf decorated with tons of old trinkets and things. She pulled off the thick book and set it on the kitchen table.

 _Yes,_ she thought, _I'm almost home._

Max flipped through the pages and scanned every picture. Nothing. Nada. Nope.

 _I swear, it was here. Where could it possibly be?_

Max tried to think harder about the possible location of the elusive snapshot. The last place she had it was in her dorm room, on the edge of her bed. She had to go there.

Back at Blackwell, Max shot straight for the dormitories. There was no time to waste. She entered the hallway and glanced at Dana's door on the way down. Her slate wasn't clean this time; it instead harbored many crass drawings of pregnant women and babies.

 _Poor Dana..._

Max opened the door to her room and slammed it shut in haste. She pounced on her desk, throwing papers on the floor in her desperate hunt.

No picture there.

She moved to the couch, ripping away the soft, fancy pillows and cushions.

Nothing.

She sat on her bed and pouted, wondering if she would be able to find this stupid picture before it was too late for Arcadia Bay. Her feet wandered under the bed. Something felt slippery; Max got down on her hand and knees and peered under the bed to see what it might be.

 _The picture!_

 _There is a God,_ she thought to herself as she snatched it out from under the bed and plopped on its edge. Max positioned the picture exactly the way it was the day she time-hopped. She attempted to get her racing mind to calm down, so she could be at the same mental state. Who knew what this kind of stuff required? If there was one thing Max did know, it was that there was no greater feeling of longing than what she felt in that moment, and there was no other person she would want to spend the rest of her moments with than her blue-haired bestie as soon as she returned. After fixing the past, of course.

Max stared down at the picture and began to hear Chloe's childish voice in her ears one more time. _"Cheesecake!"_

 _The universe is giving me a second chance,_ Max thought, _I'm going home._

 **One More Quick Note: This chapter is probably not done yet, I didn't really spend as much time on it as the others. Sorry if it seems a bit rushed... Expect either more to be added later or a better quality Chapter 4!**


	4. Reunion

**Author's Note: If you have not yet watched the YouTube video "Life is Strange | Chloe's Meltdown," you need to. It is the most emotional thing about this game I have watched. The quote in the story "...I would go all the way back and change everything..." actually came from this video. It was something the devs decided to cut out because it revealed too much, but it really was an actual thing. So go watch it. And enjoy this chapter. Stay awesome, friends. :)**

Chapter 4: Reunion

Chloe's voice faded in and out of Max's ears. She couldn't focus on the picture enough.

 _Stop being selfish, Max,_ she thought to herself, _What if Chloe doesn't want the life she had? What if she would trade her full mobility for her father's life?_

Max remembered Chloe's meltdown in her old, worn truck just moments before the picture-jumping ordeal.

"Do you know what it's like to wait for your father to come home when you're a kid? And he never does?"

"No, of course not. But I was with you that day... It was just a terrible accident..."

"I wish that made me feel better. But ever since he died, my life has been dipped in shit."

"You don't want to hear this, but you're still here. Alive. With me. And that is no accident."

"You're right. I don't want to hear this."

"Chloe, I can't do this out on my own. I need you with me. And Rachel needs you..."

"Max, if I had your power I would go all the way back and change everything... _Everything!_ "

Chloe's last words played over and over in Max's brain like a broken record. _I would go all the way back and change everything... Everything!_ Is this really what Chloe would want?

There was really no way for Max to ask her this question. What was she going to do? Go to the Chloe of this realm and say _"Hey, I'm definitely from the future, and I just want to know. Would you rather...?"_ No. That would be horrible. This was a choice Max had to make on her own, and it was possibly the most difficult one in her lifetime... Chloe's destiny lie in her hands.

Keep Dad and make Chloe handicapped, or let Dad die and bring the old Chloe back? Max knew that Chloe would be happier if William remained alive, but the thought of being the very reason she became disabled made her cringe. Max also knew that the old way of life was the original way, and altering realities was _not_ a good thing. But what was she to tell Chloe when she made it to the other side? How would her best friend react, especially after blowing up earlier that day about her father's death?

Max decided that it was for the better if she went back and erased her mistakes. She concentrated solidly on the "Chloe and Max: Pancake Adventure" picture in front of her. This time, when she heard the squeaky voices calling out silly words, she stayed focused on the faces until the room went blank.

 _This had better be worth it._

Max roused in the 2008 Price kitchen. The air smelled of pancakes and bacon.

 _Nostalgia... Keep it together, Max. All you're here to do is relive this awful moment. Try to help Chloe through it._

Max wondered if she would actually be able to talk her best friend through something like this. She herself had never had to deal with the tragic death of anyone in her family.

The telephone rang and William answered it, same as before.

"Excuse me, ladies, I have to go rescue yonder Queen at the Sav-Mart," he quipped, "She doth have many bags of delicious grub for us to feast upon!"

"You are ridiculous!" Chloe teased.

William went on a search for his keys, and eventually found them thanks to his KeyFinder from SpyGuy electronics... Max wondered if this really was the right thing to do. This was her last chance to rewind and save Chloe's dad.

Max watched William walk out the door and finished making pancakes with her best friend. She remembered, once again, Chloe's words before she kicked Max out of her truck.

Max felt like shit.

 _Was this really the right thing to do?_

The world dissolved into shades of white and red and light blue. Max witnessed every happy memory that Chloe and Joyce had of William burn up in her face. She reached out to save one, but her hand shot right through it... This felt both wrong and right.

Max just hoped what she did was good.

* * *

Chloe got out of her old beaten up clunker and slammed the door. Could this day get _any_ worse? She stormed through the front door and upstairs to the bathroom.

 _Maybe I shouldn't have been so hard on Max,_ she thought, _She was just trying to help, I guess._

 _She'll get over it._

Chloe searched the drawer under her sink until she found what she wanted.

Fluoxetine* Tablets, USP

10mg Rx ONLY

She popped two in her mouth; she would need an extra dosage today... Chloe looked at her reflection in the mirror.

 _What the fuck are you doing? Dad is gone, Max bailed on you, Rachel betrayed you... Everyone in your life just lets you down. Fuck everybody!_

The blue-haired punk girl fled to her room and plopped down on her bed. She stared at the ceiling for a moment and then sat up to grab her "therapy drug."

 _Just blaze for a moment and clear your mind._ She pulled her thin Bic lighter from her back pocket and inspected the colorful skull design on it. _Max would like this,_ she thought, _If she used lighters._ Thinking about Max made her replay the blowout the two of them had in the truck earlier that evening.

 _Maybe Max was right,_ she considered, _The only reason I'm alive right now is because of her. Maybe I'm here to help guide her. And for Rachel..._

* * *

Max found herself sitting on the edge of her old bed in her old dorm room. She was grateful to have her old everything back.

 _Well, I did it..._

She checked her phone for any texts from Chloe. Her inbox was filled with nothing but messages from Warren. No one important.

Max tapped on Chloe's picture and shot her a quick SMS.

 **Max: Hey Che. I'm sorry about what happened today. Do you want to hang and talk about it later?**

Chloe's phone buzzed on her desk and she got up from her bed to read it. She huffed and threw the cell back down.

No response. Max didn't expect one.

Whether Chloe liked it or not, however, Max was going to meet her that night to right her wrongs. She looked at herself in the mirror and hurriedly brushed her hair before leaving to the bus. The last one would be arriving in just about 10 minutes, which was hardly enough time for her to shoot out and make it across the Blackwell campus.

Max disembarked the lonely Blackwell bus and walked down the street towards the Price house, taking in the beautiful atmosphere around here. The sun was almost setting, she could see it out over the glassy blue ocean.

Max paused before moving up to the front door. Chloe's car sat parked alone in the driveway. David and Joyce must both be working night shifts tonight. She turned her gaze to Chloe's window, illuminated by the tall floor lamp near her closet.

 _Here I am. Chloe's same old, rundown house from before. If only David would keep up with the house as well as he does his precious spy cameras..._

Even though she knew Chloe was the only one home, Max still knocked on the door before entering. She shambled up the stairs and stopped in front of the punk's door.

* _knock knock_ *

"Chloe? It's me, Max... I want to talk."

Chloe glared at the door. _This girl doesn't give up does she?_ A faint smile peeked out of the edges of her lips. It was good to think Max cared about her as much as she did. That she would actually come all the way out just to talk after everything.

The smile immediately disappeared as soon as she spoke. "Come in." Chloe's voice reflected a sad anger, even though she was somewhat glad to hear from her little brunette.

"Hi," Max mumbled. As much as she wanted to throw herself unto her blue-haired punk and tell her how much she had missed her, she couldn't. Chloe didn't know about any of this and, for the time being, it was better that she didn't. There was no telling how she would react, and with all of this crazy shit going on it would just be one more thing to add to her looming tower of problems.

"What do you want now, Max? Come to tell me more about Rachel and that disgusting pig Frank?"

"No, I-"

"Whatever. It doesn't matter anymore." Chloe looked down at the ground in distress. She set her weed and Oregon ash tray aside and put her palm up to her forehead, running her fingers through her fading dyed hair.

Max noticed her discomfort and walked across the room to sit beside Chloe. She put her hand up to the rebel's back in sympathy.

"I really am sorry that you had to find things out like that. I'm sure Rachel would have told you, she just didn't want to upset you..."

"It's not just about Rachel, Max," Chloe threw her hands down and looked around the room. Her voice wavered as she tried to hold back tears. "Everyone lets me down. They all just pretend to care, until they don't. I can't trust anyone anymore. My dad left me, and now he's gone forever. My mother clings to step-fucker, you bailed on me, and Rachel lied... Everyone..."

Max didn't know how to respond. Chloe was so sad, depressed... Tortured... Was this really the right thing to do?

Surely she could just go back, and... And...

"Chloe, not everyone is out to get you. Nobody just wakes up every morning and thinks, 'Hm, how can I ruin Chloe's life today?'"

"You don't get it, Max. No one does." Chloe pulled away from Max's hand on her back.

 _Great._ Max came here to apologize and make amends and what does she get? Another argument. But maybe this needed to happen. Maybe Chloe needed to hear what Max had to say this time... To really listen.

"No. _You_ don't get it. You know sometimes, Chloe, you're just so god damn oblivious to everything that everyone else does for you! You think I don't care? You think I _want_ you to feel this miserable? I try my hardest to-"

"Just stop, Max." Chloe shook her head and sunk into her palms again.

The two girls sat in an awkward silence for what felt like an eternity, both thinking about how they could possibly turn the situation around. Neither had ever noticed, but each of them deeply cared about the other. They just had odd ways of showing it...

Max and Chloe knew that they cared about each other greatly, but neither knew to what extent. From their first few months of friendship, Chloe felt unusual feelings for Max. As a thirteen-year-old girl, she never acted upon them...

Max was Chloe's first love.

Max never recognized any of Chloe's feelings for her over their years of friendship, not even when she came back to Arcadia Bay after leaving. Subtle hints were hidden all over Chloe's house, but she never did pick them up. Chloe saved all of her favorite childhood memories with Max in a drawer in her blue desk, one that the two of them just so happened to paint together before Max left. _What a coincidence._ She had a box filled with pictures of her and her cute little pirate together as kids. She even ate the same cereal they did in 2007-2008, just to remember Max while she was gone...

Nothing was detected by the blind Blackwell "Ninja." _Some detective._

Max, on the other hand, was just discovering her blossoming feelings for the lovable blue-haired rascal. Being eighteen was hard, and she was only beginning to discover herself. Max may have saved Chloe thrice over with her mad rewind powers, but Chloe saved her every day. Maybe that was what drove her to return to this reality... Maybe all Max wanted was to be with her cute punk forever.

And that big ass swirling vortex of death was still on its way to smooth out Arcadia Bay. _Maybe Chloe and I could just run away and escape forever together..._

 _You know you shouldn't have been so hard on Max,_ Chloe thought, _At least she actually cares enough to come out here and argue with you._

"I-I'm sorry, Max. For all the shit I said earlier. And in the truck." She was shit at apologizing, but at least Chloe was trying. She looked at her shoes and turned her head towards Max. "I just blow up sometimes and I can't control myself."

"It happens. I understand. And I'm sorry for raising my voice at you. I just really care about you, is all. I don't like it when you get upset like this."

 _God, Max is so hella adorable. I can't stay mad at her. Damnit._ Chloe flopped into Max's arms and exhaled deeply.

"Thanks, hippie. Still love me?"

"Of course, Che." Max replied.

 _I'll always love you..._ A small grin creeped from the edges of the brunette's mouth.

 ***** _Fluoxetine is the name of the drug that Chloe (or Joyce) has in the bathroom upstairs in the Price house in-game. Fluoxetine is an SSRI that treats depression, OCD (obsessive-compulsive disorder), and other disorders. Some brand names are Sarafem or Prozac. Please keep in mind that I obtained this information from a quick Google search. I am not a doctor, and I have never had the need to take these types of pills, so I will not make any assumptions about the pills or those who take them. Remember, there is nothing wrong with needing to use this type of medication. I am just explaining what type of drug this is for those who are unaware. :)_

 **One More Note: If you didn't read the description up there ^ for Fluoxetine, go do it. Did it? Okay. Good. Now, to explain why I completely changed the end of this chapter, I felt like it just needed a little bit more character development. Don't worry, they'll kiss eventually. But right now is about exploring each of the girls' attraction towards one another. :3**

 **One More One More Note: I love seeing the reviews you guys post! They inspire me to write more and more, and our little community is slowly growing. Thank you for your continued support!**

 **One More One More One More Note: **SPOILERS for Ep. 4 Launch Trailer** So I have a theory. After watching the trailer I'm wondering if Max returns to the old reality and Chloe is gone. Like, she moved or something. Because the house is empty and the Price family was definitely there in the alternate place. I don't know though, I really have no evidence other than the snap from the trailer. What do you guys think?**


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